1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to snap rings or spanning rings which are to be set onto a respective bar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From the British patent No. 1,560,606 a fastening ring is known in which one finger extends through a slot between two fingers with the fingers extending radially away from the otherwise circular ring. By thrusting the fingers together the inner diameter of the ring will widen whereby the ring can be moved over a hose. By letting the fingers return to their original location under the inner stresses of the ring, the ring will fasten itself on the hose and the hose will thereby be kept on a pipe or another body.
A snap ring assembly formed by a plurality of single snap rings is disclosed in my earlier application, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,775. The assembly of the mentioned earlier snap ring assembly is simple in so far as the single rings can be easily stamped from sheets. However to assemble the single rings to an assembly requires drilling, setting tools, rivets or other means.
Common standardized snap rings of the prior art require annular grooves in shafts whereinto the snap rings are to be inserted. The insertion into a groove prevents axial delocation if a need arises to replace the snap ring in axial direction on the shaft.
The ring of the mentioned british patent is radially week and not able to fasten itself on a metallic bar strong enough to withstand axial thrust onto the axial end of the ring.
The snap ring assembly of my mentioned earlier patent requires pins in bores. These pins work satisfactory for a one time setting of the ring onto the respective shaft. For such applications, however, at which at different times different axial locations of the snap ring relative to the axis of the shaft are requird, the pins of the snap ring assembly weeken and prevent a many times axial re-setting of the ring assembly.
The former art thereby fails to provide a snap ring with the capability to fix itself strongly onto a shaft and to be able to carry an axially directed load without displacing itself on the shaft.